


A Job To Do

by Glowsquid



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Fort Briggs, FullMetal Alchemist - Freeform, Major Miles - Freeform, Military, Olivier Armstrong - Freeform, Professionalism, be proud of our muffin, friendship feels, he's a colonel now, he's been promoted though, not romantic - Freeform, olivier being olivier, please don't read into it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 06:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9308849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glowsquid/pseuds/Glowsquid
Summary: At the age of 60, Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong is retiring.The news leaves Colonel Miles in the dust.





	

“I’m retiring.”

Colonel Miles heard her words, but his brain refused to glean their true meaning. 

“Sorry, sir. You’re what?”

“Retiring, Colonel. Leaving the base. Going home. Resigning. Some people do that, you know.”

Colonel Miles was standing in Major General Armstrong’s office at nine o’clock at night when he received the most important news of his life.

He almost dropped the paperwork he was holding. 

“You’re- but, why?” 

The imposing woman behind the desk glared at him for a moment before he had the presence of mind to add a hasty, “Sir.”

The General. Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong. Leaving. Leaving Fort Briggs. What? That was surely impossible. He must have heard wrong. He must have. He could not remember a moment when she wasn’t there, her towering figure and strong personality seemed just as much a part of the fort as the icicles that hung from the roof. As a lost young man who didn’t know where he had come from or where he should go, he joined the military out of desperation. He thought the grueling training and intense work would distract him, give him a purpose. But it didn’t. The anger and resentment and his damned red eyes never left him, and neither did the feeling of perpetual loneliness. He was a troublemaker, more of a nuisance than what anyone could call a good soldier. So they sent him to Briggs. Freezing your ass off in the snow under the leadership of the ruthless General Armstrong usually whipped no-good recruits such as himself into shape. He expected the frigid temperatures and unbearable discipline, but he never expected a home. The Ice Queen never meant to, but she gave him a place in the world. The Northern Wall of Briggs didn’t see scarlet eyes and dark skin, like everyone else. She only saw soldiers. Looking back on it, he supposed it was a strange feeling, but ever since the moment his commanding officer pulled a sword on him and offered to fight him was the moment he felt more at home than he had felt in years. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was Miles. Not an Ishvalan. Not an outsider. No lost and confused and hurting young man with no direction could be treated with such…. Boldness. Frankness. Respect. 

He had never been more thankful for anything else in his life. 

The fact that she was leaving made him feel unexpectedly sad. And, if he was being honest with himself, betrayed. 

“Miles, I am certainly old enough, I can retire if I wish. Now, about th-“

“But why leave? The your men respect you, your such a talented leader. As long as they’re concerned you could continue to serve!”

“Thank you for your concern, Colonel, that will be all about my retirement plans, thank you very much. Now, I believe you stated in your report that-“

“But why do you have to leave?”

The general gave him a steely glare. Colonel Miles had always been counted on to be level-headed in a crisis and his outburst surprised her. To be honest, Miles rather surprised himself as well. That wasn’t like him. He never spoke louder than necessary. He especially didn’t raise his voice at the General. He was still calculating how far he could run before she could get her sword and catch up with him when she did something unexpected. 

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. 

For the second time that night, Miles almost dropped his paperwork. 

Armstrong pushed a lock of silver-streaked hair behind her ear. She had never looked so tired. Sure, Miles had noticed she was aging. The wrinkles in her face had become more pronounced, her hair had become shot with grey. Even though she retained her strong and commanding demeanor, the outward effects of her age were beginning to show. It just had never occurred to the colonel that she was able to feel it as well. 

After a long of moment of silence, she spoke. 

“I’m tired, Miles. I’ve served in this god-forsaken frozen hellhole for forty years now. And I’m tired.”

She looked into his eyes and he was surprised to find a genuine honesty in them. 

“I want to go home. I miss my house, I miss the city. I think I’ve earned a moment alone in the shade of my garden, don’t you think?”

He couldn’t help but agree, but it didn’t stop the sense of hurt and betrayal rumbling unpleasantly in his gut, and it must have showed on his face.

“What, do you think I’m abandoning you? Ha. Don’t flatter yourself, Miles. One of us has got to be capable of acting professionally. Nothing changes the fact that you are my most trusted officer, my most loyal soldier, and – dare I say it,” She closed her eyes briefly. “ The closest thing to a friend I could ever allow myself to have. Now. I have much better things to do with my time than to worry about your emotions, I would recommend getting over yourself so both of us can move on with our evening.”

Her tone was harsh. Nevertheless, her words warmed his heart like a thousand cups of the scalding, bitter coffee served in the mess. He didn’t know that she thought of him in that way. He had nothing but respect and admiration for her, but never dreamed he could be as valuable to her as she was to him. 

“Yes, Sir.” Was all he could think to say.

“Thank you, Sir.” He added.

“You’re welcome.” She replied with a roll of her eyes. Her tone was sarcastic, but Miles sensed something else beneath her voice. Affection? He didn’t know. 

But he did know who he was. He was a soldier of Briggs, and he had a job to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! First Fma fic. This was written for #briggsweek2k17 on tumblr. Go checkout the other amazing work on tumblr.com. Whee! let me know what you thought or if I made any mistakes. Have a great day!


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